Tag: Cooking Video

When I am in the mood for crab but don’t want the mess & hassle of cracking shells and digging the meat out, nothing fits the bill like a crab cake. I’m not talking about a crab cake that’s mostly crappy breadcrumbs and other cheap fillers, I’m talking a cake filled with lush, sweet crab meat and little more.

The September 2018 Food & Wine Magazine features their 40 “Best Ever Recipes,” which lured me in with a luscious chocolate cake on the cover, but they hooked me with this recipe for crab cakes, nine pages from the back of the magazine on page 95!

Andrew Zimmern’s Baltimore Style Crab Cakes

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (See note below)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked over

20 saltine crackers, finely crushed (See note below)

1/4 cup canola oil (See note below)

Lemon wedges, for serving

In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce until smooth.

In a medium bowl, lightly toss the crab meat with the cracker crumbs. Gently fold in the mayonnaise mixture. In Andrew Zimmern’s words, if you don’t over mix, and don’t pack your mounds too tightly, you will experience “pure, unadulterated crab cake heaven.” Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Scoop the crab mixture into eight 1/3-cup mounds; lightly pack into 8 patties, about 1+1/2 inches thick. In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the crab cakes and cook over moderately high heat until deeply golden and heated through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the crab cakes to plates and serve with lemon wedges.

Tip 1: If you prefer, you can substitute 1 1/2 tsp yellow or spicy mustard and omit the Dijon mustard and hot sauce

The recipe as written serves 4 people 2 patties each alongside a peppery arugula salad topped with diced mango, pineapple & cucumbers with a squeeze of lemon juice & a tablespoon of vinaigrette dressing. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

This recipe was originally published in 2012, and also appears on Andrew Zimmern’s website. Food & Wine Magazine recommends pairing these crab cakes with a Muscadet. #GirlsGoneWine I’m not familiar with Muscadet, so I looked to my go to wine reference site, Wine Enthusiast, for an education on this brisk, lemony wine from the Loire Valley region of France. Wine enthusiast says the flavor profile of Muscadet wine can vary from very neutral to tangy and saline. Basic Muscadet wine is light in body and light in flavor, and may have a little spritz. Higher quality examples lean more towards a tangy saltiness and notes of flinty minerality, with a smooth texture and friendly, approachable nature. As for specific recommendation, here’s a very affordable option:

Bougrier Les Martinieres – This crisp, fruity white is an enjoyable accompaniment to shellfish and light appetizers. Its light sweetness adds richness to the light lemon, mineral and peach notes. Total Wine $10.99

I’ll never be able to do enough cardio to exercise off the deep love I have for the food of my Daddy’s Alabama family. Shrimp & Grits are, by far, the one dish I can never say no to, as my jeans will attest…

This Food Network recipe from Tyler Florence tabs itself the “Ultimate” and I have to say, he’s not just tooting his own horn. This dish is pretty damn good & it satisfies my 3 recipe musts:

Must be quick

Must have ingredients that are easy to find

Must not require culinary school skills to make!

Tyler Florence’s Ultimate Shrimp & Grits

3 cups milk

3 cups heavy cream

1 cup stone-ground white cornmeal

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Place a 3-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the milk and cream. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal. When the grits begin to bubble, turn the heat down to medium low and simmer, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Allow to cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and thick. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, thin it out with a little extra cream. Season with salt and pepper.

2 TBLS extra virgin olive oil

1 medium white onion, minced

2 cloves garlic chopped (1 tsp pre-chopped in the jar)

1 pound Andouille, or spicy Italian sausage, cut in chunks

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock

2 to 3 bay leaves

2 pounds raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on

pinch cayenne pepper (to taste)

1/2 lemon, juiced

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 TBLS finely chopped flat leaf parsley

4 green onions, sliced

Place a deep skillet over medium heat and coat with the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic; saute for 2 minutes to soften. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until there is a fair amount of fat in the pan and the sausage is brown. Sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to create a roux. Slowly pour in the chicken stock and continue to stir to avoid lumps. Toss in the bay leaves. When the liquid comes to a simmer, add the shrimp. Poach the shrimp in the stock for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are firm and pink and the gravy is smooth and thick. Add the cayenne pepper, Tabasco and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper; stir in the parsley and green onion. Spoon the grits into a serving bowl. Add the shrimp mixture and mix well. Serve immediately with crusty bread and ice cold beer. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Nobody likes to worry about cooking dinner after getting home from work on Monday night.

The weekend was a non-stop whirlwind of activity. Kids games, recitals, activities, parties, chores, and maybe some adult beverages have left you with no energy to plan a meal after your first day back at the grind of the work week.

Thankfully Cooking Light Magazine has come to the rescue with a YouTube video to guide us all through a “fix it and forget it” healthy and hearty weeknight meal that will bring the whole family to the table and make you look like a SUPERSTAR!

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 cups unsalted chicken stock

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano

1/4 cup drained capers

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

8 garlic cloves, chopped

1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (8-oz.) pkg. cremini mushrooms, quartered

8 (6-oz.) boneless-skinless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

12 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken in half

5 ounces baby spinach

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

Combine 1/2 cup water and flour in a 6-quart electric slow cooker, stirring with a whisk

Stir in stock and next 8 ingredients (through mushrooms)

Add chicken thighs to stock mixture; submerge in liquid

Cover and cook on LOW 7 1/2 hours

Remove chicken

Add oil and pasta to slow cooker

Cover and cook on HIGH 15 minutes or until pasta is done

Stir in spinach until wilted

Divide pasta mixture among 8 shallow bowls

Top evenly with chicken

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese

If you use Facebook and are interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: things like health articles, my favorite recipes, fun drinks, food facts, nutritional information, restaurant reviews, photos and other things that make my mouth water, I have a very active page on Facebook you can visit too: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood